The district has chosen a highly unusual role model to grace the cover of its new education guide, and some residents are questioning whether the choice sends a good message to the city's youth.

On the cover of the new district guidebook – aimed at changing the educational “experiences for every child in each of our schools” – is a portrait of 1960s rock legend Jimi Hendrix, known as much for his fatal drug habit as his revolutionary take on rock music.

The district's manifesto asks readers to remember “the first time you heard Jimi Hendrix,” before proclaiming “our plan is as transformational now as his music was then," according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the image of Hendrix — who didn't make it through high school — is not limited to the cover. Indeed, Hendrix's face appears on nearly every page of the manual, which also comes with a Hendrix poster and canvas tote, all distributed to hundreds of administrators in Superintendent Carlos Garcia’s district.

Garcia told the Chronicle that he was simply trying to “revolutionize” the district and felt comfortable with Hendrix’s controversial image because, “Hey, we’re in San Francisco.”

Jim Dierke, the principal of the Visitacion Valley Middle School told FOX News Wednesday that he supported the initiative: "This new approach, starting here ... is a new and exiciting way to get to the root problem of kids and try to bring them along to the standards."

But not all administrators feel the same.

One concerned “liberal hippie educator” in the district – who went unnamed for fear of retaliation – told the Chronicle, “I find the choice of Hendrix as inspiration to be used in an educational setting rather strange and out of touch.”

"This is another silly political statement that somehow we should hold people like Jimi Hendrix up as an agent of change," Gary Delagnes, president of the city's Police Officers' Association told FOX News Wednesday. "Jimi Hendrix was nothing more than a talented musician who died overdosing on drugs."

Born in 1942, Hendrix rose to fame after delighting audiences with an innovative, experimental sound and his remarkable skill as a guitarist. His shows often included outrageous stunts such as playing the guitar with his teeth or lighting it on fire. He was named the No. 1 Greatest Guitarist of All Time in Rolling Stone's top-100 list.

His success was legendary, but short-lived: he died at the age of 27 when he choked on his own vomit after a drug overdose.

"On the cover of the new district guidebook ...is a portrait of 1960s rock legend Jimi Hendrix, ... the image of Hendrix ... is not limited to the cover. Indeed, Hendrix's face appears on nearly every page of the manual, which also comes with a Hendrix poster and canvas tote, all distributed to hundreds of administrators in Superintendent Carlos Garcia’s district."

I'm more interested in getting me the guidebook/poster/tote (and a spare in case it becomes another Hendrix-rarity that will be valuable someday)

peace peoples,

stplsd

05-15-09, 10:18 PM

I just ain't mellow an' I hate Fox dissin Jimi.
Just noticed your Buddy Rich tag, saw him on b&w UK TV in the sixties on a program called "Jazz at the Maltings" doing this thing where he started playing with just a snare, the rest of the kit was gradually built around him as he played this amazing funky solo, drum by drum, cymbal by cymbal, the sweat dripping of his forehead onto the snare even seemed in time, just a small kit I remember, made the one pedal bass sound like two or more, the band (was there a band?) I presume came in at some point, but I only remember - vividly - his unique performance.

Just googled it, it appears that the building the kit round him is probably my imagination, but that's what I remember! could have appeared twice? maybe conflated two different shows? maybe he started on the snare then focused on each tom-tom etc before putting it all together and it seemed like...? I can still hear/see it.

Jimi_Uchihaeyez

05-15-09, 10:39 PM

"Jimi Hendrix was nothing more than a talented musician who died overdosing on drugs."

Spoken as someone who's only and only will ever hear purole haze, foxy lady, hey joe, and fire... SF did'nt make a bad choice putting Jimi as the "Role-Model" but it is a weird concept, Only in the fact that he is mainly overlooked as a Drugged-up Hippie from the 60's that could play the guitar pretty well. He also did'nt die of a drug overdose. He took nine versporex and etc. etc. we all know the rest.

MourningStar

05-15-09, 10:53 PM

I just ain't mellow an' I hate Fox dissin Jimi.I hear ya. Media's been that way all along. Probably ain't never gonna change.

I'm just curious if S.F. got EH permission to use the images and if not, is Janie planning on 'waging a war against those sodomites'. :D
**********************

Yeah, Buddy Rich - The Hendrix of Drums! 'Jazz at the Maltings' performance perhaps around '68? What you describe reminds me of his appearance on The Muppet Show. Kermit goes to Buddy's dressing room to tell him he's on next (a historic drum battle with Animal), he grabs his sticks and starts rapping on everything in his path from his dressing room down the stairs to the stage. A classic performance.

yo,

stplsd

05-15-09, 11:01 PM

Well, drugs (barbiturates) do appear to have been the main contributing factor, the wine being the other. But it should always be pointed out that they were prescription drugs and that wine was what he choked on. Unless of course one is wanting/hoping people to assume they were
"!DRUGS!" ie heroin, as is the case with most of the gutter press like Fox. The question of how many he took is down to whether you believe Monika Dannemann or not, although the autopsy did find a "large" amount of barbiturates in his system.

Jimi_Uchihaeyez

05-15-09, 11:09 PM

Well, drugs (barbiturates) do appear to have been the main contributing factor, the wine being the other. But it should always be pointed out that they were prescription drugs and that wine was what he choked on. Unless of course one is wanting/hoping people to assume they were
"!DRUGS!" ie heroin, as is the case with most of the gutter press like Fox. The question of how many he took is down to whether you believe Monika Dannemann or not, although the autopsy did find a "large" amount of barbiturates in his system.That would be the only thing I agreee with her on. Her story of Sept. 18th has holes the size of france, Yet her story of jimi taking the sleeping pills would make sense, plush like you said, the autopsy.

stplsd

05-15-09, 11:11 PM

I'm just curious if S.F. got EH permission to use the images and if not, is Janie planning on 'waging a war against those sodomites'. :D,
**********************
Quite likely not so better get your copy now!

Yeah, Buddy Rich - The Hendrix of Drums! 'Jazz at the Maltings' performance perhaps around '68? What you describe reminds me of his appearance on The Muppet Show. Kermit goes to Buddy's dressing room to tell him he's on next (a historic drum battle with Animal), he grabs his sticks and starts rapping on everything in his path from his dressing room down the stairs to the stage. A classic performance.,

Like to have seen that Muppet show but alas. The one in my memory is from the late sixties I think 67/68. Just checked him out on youtube, haven't seen or heard him for most of life since - not much into "jazz" at the time -the man is unfing believable. I'm sure he and Krupa both ended up with damaged knees/calfs? through their pedal work? I remember seeing Gene Krupa round about the same time, and being well impressed, but he didn't stick in my mind like Buddy.

MourningStar

05-15-09, 11:29 PM

... wine was what he choked on. ....Hmmmm, ... don't you mean 'drowned' on wine? And all these years I thought he died from choking on vomit.

peace,

purple jim

05-16-09, 05:04 AM

What you describe reminds me of his appearance on The Muppet Show. Kermit goes to Buddy's dressing room to tell him he's on next (a historic drum battle with Animal), he grabs his sticks and starts rapping on everything in his path from his dressing room down the stairs to the stage. A classic performance.